Baby rescued after father allegedly tries to drown her in MO pond

‘Somebody was certainly watching out over that kid today. Without a doubt.’

Jonathon Zicarelli, 28, was charged with first degree domestic assault after he walked into a police station and allegedly told officers he tried to drown his baby daughter in a pond. (Source: KMBC/Hearst/CNN)

December 18, 2018 at 4:49 AM CST - Updated December 18 at 4:49 AM

GREENWOOD, MO (KMBC/CNN) - Authorities in Missouri arrested a father after they say he walked into a police station and admitted he tried to drown his 6-month-old daughter in a pond.

Officers rushed to a pond in Greenwood, MO, Monday morning after 28-year-old Jonathon Zicarelli walked into the city police department and allegedly said he had just drowned his daughter.

Upon arriving at the pond, police found the 6-month-old girl face up in the icy water. She was lethargic, and her temperature was 87.9 degrees.

Officers estimate she was in the water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Thankfully, Police Cpl. Thomas Calhoun was able to get the baby to breathe normally by performing CPR.

Officers also removed the baby’s wet clothing in an attempt to warm her, and Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson wrapped her in his own uniform shirt until the fire department arrived on scene and rushed her to the hospital.

The baby is currently in stable condition. She is being treated for hypothermia.

Doctors say any brain damage might not show up for a while, and everyone is simply celebrating the fact she survived.

“Somebody was certainly watching out over that kid today. Without a doubt,” Police Lt. Aaron Fordham said.

Zicarelli was charged with first degree domestic assault in connection to the incident.

Probable cause documents state the father appeared “emotionally removed” when he initially told officers he drowned the baby.

Zicarelli reportedly confessed he had planned to kill the child for more than 24 hours after having “bad thoughts,” according to the charging documents. He said he wanted to make things easier on his wife, who was stressed due to the holiday and trying to provide for the family.

Dr. Steve Lauer, a pediatrician, says infants often cry, causing parents to lose sleep on top of any outside stresses. Families need to seek help if they are struggling or depressed, he says.

Police agreed with the doctor’s advice.

"If anyone is in a crisis state or something like that, I would certainly advise that they would seek out help, and there’s a lot of resources out there,” Fordham said.